Various power-plants, such as internal combustion engines, electric motors, and/or fuel cells, can be employed to power vehicles. Modern internal combustion engines typically employ electronic fuel control to regulate engine output torque. In a gasoline engine, an amount of air supplied to the engine is controlled via an electronic throttle control (ETC) to establish the amount of injected fuel, and thereby regulate the engine's output torque. On the other hand, in modern diesel internal combustion engines, the engine's output torque control is typically accomplished directly via regulation of injected fuel.
Some modern vehicles employ manually operated, i.e., manual, transmissions for transmitting engine torque to driven wheels. Such manual transmissions are generally characterized by gear ratios that are selectable by locking selected gear pairs to the output shaft inside the transmission. A vehicle using such a manual transmission may employ a manually-operated clutch for regulating torque transfer from the vehicle's engine to its transmission.
Commonly, such a clutch is operated by a foot pedal in order to disconnect the vehicle's engine from its transmission and permit starting the vehicle from rest, as well as to facilitate selection of the transmission gear ratios when the vehicle is in motion. The actual selection of the gear ratios inside the manual transmission is typically accomplished via a shift lever movable by the vehicle operator.